Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Mark 10:28-31
Peter began to say to Jesus, "We have given up everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first."
Peter began to say to Jesus, "We have given up everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first."
Introductory Prayer: Once again, Lord, I come to You to
pray. Even though I cannot see You, I trust that You are present and want very
much to instruct me in Your teachings. In the same way that You demonstrate Your
love for me by spending this time with me, I want to express my love for You by
dedicating this time to You with a spirit of faith, confidence and attention.
Here I am, Lord, to listen to You and respond with love.
Petition: Lord, help me to have a pure intention in my acts of self-denial.
1. Peter’s Question: At first glance Peter seems to be
selfish, as if he were saying, “We have given up everything, now what’s in it
for us?” His question is not prompted by selfishness, but rather is a response
to Jesus’ previous statement that it is very hard for a rich man to enter
heaven. In light of the difficulty of riches, Peter wants to know what the
chances of entering the kingdom of God will be for someone who has given up
everything to follow Christ. How detached from material possessions must we be
in order to be assured a place in heaven? Jesus does not give us a concrete
answer to this question, but he does tell us that those who have given up
everything will not only receive a reward of eternal life in the age to come,
but also ample reward in this life.
2. The Real Motivation: Reward is not given only to those
who simply give things up, but rather to those who give things up for the sake
of Christ and for love of the Gospel. Sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice — or
for that matter, sacrifice for a selfish reason — is worth nothing in God’s
eyes. Sacrifice has value only when it is done for the sake of Christ and his
Gospel, for love. Our intention in self-denial must be to glorify Christ or to
witness to the Gospel message. Is this the real motivation of my self-denial?
3. Eternal Life: The reward for our self-denial begins in this life
and has its culmination in the life to come. The difference between one and the
other is that in this life there are also persecutions. In this life we enjoy
both the love of Christ and suffering persecutions for his sake. This life is a
life of purification of our love, purification of our intentions. By proving
our love now, we will enjoy life with Christ for all eternity.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, You know how attached I am to
myself, my possessions and my comforts. Help me to give up what I need to give
up — out of love for You and Your Gospel, not out of love for myself or what I
might get out of it. Help me not to be afraid to deny myself for the sake of
drawing nearer to You.
Resolution: I will give up something that keeps me from drawing closer to God.
Excerpts from the
DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
93 The
Virtue of Poverty
This is an evangelical virtue which impels the heart to detach itself from temporal things; the religious, in virtue of his profession, is strictly obliged to it.
This is an evangelical virtue which impels the heart to detach itself from temporal things; the religious, in virtue of his profession, is strictly obliged to it.
116 My
Jesus, You know what my soul goes through at the recollection of these
sufferings. I have often marvelled that the angels and saints hold their peace
at the sight of a soul suffering like that. Yet they have special love for us
at such moments. My soul has often cried out after God, as a little child who
cries as loudly as he can when his mother covers her face and he cannot
recognize her. O my Jesus, honor and glory to You for these trials of love!
Great and incomprehensible is your mercy. All that You intended for my soul, O
Lord, is steeped in Your mercy.
118 The
tongue is a small member, but it does big things. A religious who does not keep
silence will never attain holiness; that is, she will never become a saint. Let
her not delude herself-unless it is the Spirit of God who is speaking through
her, for then she must not keep silent. But, in order to hear the voice of God,
one has to have silence in one's soul and to keep silence; not a gloomy
silence, but an interior silence; that is to say, recollection in God. One can speak
a great deal without breaking silence and, on the contrary, one can speak
little and be constantly breaking silence. Oh, what irreparable damage is done
by the breach of silence! We cause a lot of harm to our neighbor, but even more
to our own selves.
In my opinion, and according to my experience, the rule concerning silence should stand in the very first place. God does not give himself to a chattering soul which, like a drone in a beehive, buzzes around but gathers no honey. A talkative soul is empty inside. It lacks both the essential virtues and intimacy with God. A deeper interior life, one of gentle peace and of that silence where the Lord dwells, is quite out of the question. A soul that has never tasted the sweetness of inner silence is a restless spirit which disturbs the silence of others. I have seen many souls in the depths of hell for not having kept their silence; they told me so themselves when I asked them what was the cause of their undoing. These were souls of religious. My God, what an agony it is to think that not only might they have been in heaven, but they might even have become saints! O Jesus, have mercy!
In my opinion, and according to my experience, the rule concerning silence should stand in the very first place. God does not give himself to a chattering soul which, like a drone in a beehive, buzzes around but gathers no honey. A talkative soul is empty inside. It lacks both the essential virtues and intimacy with God. A deeper interior life, one of gentle peace and of that silence where the Lord dwells, is quite out of the question. A soul that has never tasted the sweetness of inner silence is a restless spirit which disturbs the silence of others. I have seen many souls in the depths of hell for not having kept their silence; they told me so themselves when I asked them what was the cause of their undoing. These were souls of religious. My God, what an agony it is to think that not only might they have been in heaven, but they might even have become saints! O Jesus, have mercy!
163 JMJ
The Year 1937
General Exercises
+O Most Holy Trinity! As many times as I breathe, as many times as my heart beats, as many times as my blood pulsates through my body, so many thousand times do I want to glorify Your mercy.
+I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, 0 Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors' souls and come to their rescue.
Help me, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors' needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moanings. Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.
Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks.
Help me, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence. May Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me.
+You yourself command me to exercise the three degrees of mercy. The first: the act of mercy, of whatever kind. The second: the word of mercy-if I cannot carry out a work of mercy, I will assist by my words. The third: prayer-if I cannot show mercy by deeds or words, I can always do so by prayer. My prayer reaches out even there where I cannot reach out physically.
O my Jesus, transform me into Yourself, for you can do all things.
General Exercises
+O Most Holy Trinity! As many times as I breathe, as many times as my heart beats, as many times as my blood pulsates through my body, so many thousand times do I want to glorify Your mercy.
+I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, 0 Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors' souls and come to their rescue.
Help me, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors' needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moanings. Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.
Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks.
Help me, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence. May Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me.
+You yourself command me to exercise the three degrees of mercy. The first: the act of mercy, of whatever kind. The second: the word of mercy-if I cannot carry out a work of mercy, I will assist by my words. The third: prayer-if I cannot show mercy by deeds or words, I can always do so by prayer. My prayer reaches out even there where I cannot reach out physically.
O my Jesus, transform me into Yourself, for you can do all things.
216 We
have come to Cracow today [April 18, 1933]. What a joy it is to find myself
again where I took my first steps in the spiritual life! Dear Mother Directress
[Mary Joseph] is ever the same, cheerful and full of love of neighbor. I
entered the chapel for a moment and joy filled my soul. In a flash I recalled
the whole ocean of graces that had been given me as a novice here.
236 Oh,
how misleading are appearances, and how unjust the judgments. Oh, how often
virtue suffers only because it remains silent. To be sincere with those who are
incessantly stinging us demands much self-denial. One bleeds, but there are no
visible wounds. O Jesus, it is only on the last day that many of these things
will be made known. What joy-none of our efforts will be lost!
241 Love
of neighbor. First: Helpfulness towards the sisters. Second: Do not speak about
those who are absent, and defend the good name of my neighbor. Third: Rejoice
in the success of others.
279 God
made known to me what true love consists in and gave light to me about how, in
practice, to give proof of it to Him. True love of God consists in carrying out
God's will. To show God our love in what we do, all our actions, even the
least, must spring from our love of God. And the Lord said to me, My child,
you please Me most by suffering. In your physical as well as your mental
sufferings, My daughter, do not seek sympathy from creatures. I want the
fragrance of your suffering to be pure and unadulterated. I want you to detach
yourself, not only from creatures, but also from yourself. My daughter, I want
to delight in the love of your heart, a pure love, virginal, unblemished,
untarnished. The more you will come to love suffering, My daughter, the purer
your love for Me will be.
294
+Once the Lord said to me, Act like a beggar who does not back away when he
gets more alms [than he asked for], but offers thanks the more fervently. You
too should not back away and say that you are not worthy of receiving greater
graces when I give them to you. I know you are unworthy, but rejoice all the
more and take as many treasures from My Heart as you can carry, for then you
will please Me more. And I will tell you one more thing: Take these graces not
only for yourself, but also for others; that is, encourage the souls with whom
you come in contact to trust in My infinite mercy. Oh, how I love those souls
who have complete confidence in Me. I will do everything for them.
296 +O
Supreme Good, I want to love You as no one on earth has ever loved You before!
I want to adore You with every moment of my life and unite my will closely to
Your holy will. My life is not drab or monotonous, but it is varied like a
garden of fragrant flowers, so that I don't know which flower to pick first,
the lily of suffering or the rose of love of neighbor or the violet of
humility. I will not enumerate these treasures in which my every day abounds.
It is a great thing to know how to make use of the present moment.
343
True love is measured by the thermometer of suffering. Jesus, I thank You for
the little daily crosses, for opposition to my endeavors, for the hardships of
communal life, for the misinterpretation of my intentions, for humiliations at
the hands of others, for the harsh way in which we are treated, for false
suspicions, for poor health and loss of strength, for self-denial, for dying to
myself, for lack of recognition in everything, for the upsetting of all my
plans.
Thank You, Jesus, for interior sufferings, for dryness of spirit, for terrors, fears and incertitudes, for the darkness and the deep interior night, for temptations and various ordeals, for torments too difficult to describe, especially for those which no one will understand, for the hour of death with its fierce struggle and all its bitterness.
I thank You, Jesus, You who first drank the cup of bitterness before You gave it to me, in a much milder form. I put my lips to this cup of Your holy will. Let all be done according to Your good pleasure; let that which Your wisdom ordained before the ages be done to me. I want to drink the cup to its last drop, and not seek to know the reason why. In bitterness is my joy, in hopelessness is my trust. In You, O Lord, all is good, all is a gift of Your paternal Heart. I do not prefer consolations over bitterness or bitterness over consolations, but thank You, O Jesus, for everything! It is my delight to fix my gaze upon You, O incomprehensible God! My spirit abides in these mysterious dwelling places, and there I am at home. I know very well the dwelling place of my Spouse. I feel there is not a single drop of blood in me that does not burn with love for You.
O Uncreated Beauty, whoever comes to know You once cannot love anything else. I can feel the bottomless abyss of my soul, and nothing will fill it but God himself. I feel that I am drowned in Him like a single grain of sand in a bottomless ocean.
Thank You, Jesus, for interior sufferings, for dryness of spirit, for terrors, fears and incertitudes, for the darkness and the deep interior night, for temptations and various ordeals, for torments too difficult to describe, especially for those which no one will understand, for the hour of death with its fierce struggle and all its bitterness.
I thank You, Jesus, You who first drank the cup of bitterness before You gave it to me, in a much milder form. I put my lips to this cup of Your holy will. Let all be done according to Your good pleasure; let that which Your wisdom ordained before the ages be done to me. I want to drink the cup to its last drop, and not seek to know the reason why. In bitterness is my joy, in hopelessness is my trust. In You, O Lord, all is good, all is a gift of Your paternal Heart. I do not prefer consolations over bitterness or bitterness over consolations, but thank You, O Jesus, for everything! It is my delight to fix my gaze upon You, O incomprehensible God! My spirit abides in these mysterious dwelling places, and there I am at home. I know very well the dwelling place of my Spouse. I feel there is not a single drop of blood in me that does not burn with love for You.
O Uncreated Beauty, whoever comes to know You once cannot love anything else. I can feel the bottomless abyss of my soul, and nothing will fill it but God himself. I feel that I am drowned in Him like a single grain of sand in a bottomless ocean.
375 Particular
interior practice; that is, the examination of conscience. Self-denial, denial
of my own will.
I. The denial of my reason. Subjecting it to the reason of those who represent God to me here on earth.
II. The denial of my will. Doing the will of God, which is revealed in the will of those who represent God to me and which is contained in the rule of our order.
III. The denial of my judgment. Accepting immediately and without reflection, analysis or reasoning all orders given by those who represent God to me.
IV. The denial of my tongue. I will not give it the least bit of freedom; but in one case only I will give it complete freedom; that is, in proclaiming the glory of God. Whenever I receive Holy Communion, I will ask Jesus to fortify and cleanse my tongue that I may not injure my neighbor with it. That is why I have the greatest respect for the rule which speaks about silence.
I. The denial of my reason. Subjecting it to the reason of those who represent God to me here on earth.
II. The denial of my will. Doing the will of God, which is revealed in the will of those who represent God to me and which is contained in the rule of our order.
III. The denial of my judgment. Accepting immediately and without reflection, analysis or reasoning all orders given by those who represent God to me.
IV. The denial of my tongue. I will not give it the least bit of freedom; but in one case only I will give it complete freedom; that is, in proclaiming the glory of God. Whenever I receive Holy Communion, I will ask Jesus to fortify and cleanse my tongue that I may not injure my neighbor with it. That is why I have the greatest respect for the rule which speaks about silence.
383 At
the beginning of the retreat, I saw, on the ceiling of the chapel, Jesus nailed
to the Cross. He was looking at the sisters with great love, but not at all of
them. There were three sisters at whom Jesus looked severely, for what reasons
I do not know. I only know what a terrible thing it is to meet with such a
look, which is the look of a severe Judge. That look was not directed at me,
and yet I was paralyzed with terror. I still tremble as I write these words. I
did not dare to say so much as a single word to Jesus. My physical strength
failed me, and I thought I would not live to the end of the conference. The next
day, I saw the same thing again, just as I had seen it the first time, and this
time I dared to speak these words: "Jesus, how great is Your mercy!"
On the third day, that gaze of great kindness upon all the sisters, except the three, was again repeated. I gathered up my courage, which drew its force from love of neighbor, and I said to the Lord, "You, who are Mercy Itself, as You yourself told me, I beg You by the power of Your mercy, to look then with kindness at these three sisters as well. And if this is not in accord with Your wisdom, I ask You for an exchange: turn to them the kind look meant for my soul, and let Your severe gaze at their souls be turned on me." Jesus then said to me these words: My daughter, for the sake of your sincere and generous love, I grant them many graces although they are not asking Me for them. But I am doing so because of the promise I have made to you. And at that moment, He turned a merciful look towards those three sisters as well. My heart leapt with joy to see the goodness of God.
On the third day, that gaze of great kindness upon all the sisters, except the three, was again repeated. I gathered up my courage, which drew its force from love of neighbor, and I said to the Lord, "You, who are Mercy Itself, as You yourself told me, I beg You by the power of Your mercy, to look then with kindness at these three sisters as well. And if this is not in accord with Your wisdom, I ask You for an exchange: turn to them the kind look meant for my soul, and let Your severe gaze at their souls be turned on me." Jesus then said to me these words: My daughter, for the sake of your sincere and generous love, I grant them many graces although they are not asking Me for them. But I am doing so because of the promise I have made to you. And at that moment, He turned a merciful look towards those three sisters as well. My heart leapt with joy to see the goodness of God.
392 The
Lord God grants His graces in two ways: by inspiration and by enlightenment. If
we ask God for a grace, He will give it to us; but let us be willing to accept
it. And in order to accept it, self-denial is needed. Love does not consist in
words or feelings, but in deeds. It is an act of the will; it is a gift; that
is to say, a giving. The reason, the will, the heart-these three faculties must
be exercised during prayer. I will rise from the dead in Jesus, but first I
must live in Him. If I do not separate myself from the Cross, then the Gospel
will be revealed in me. Jesus in me makes up for all my deficiencies. His grace
operates without ceasing. The Holy Trinity grants me Its life abundantly, by
the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Three Divine Persons live in me. When God
loves, He loves with all His Being, with all the power of His Being. If God has
loved me in this way, how should I respond I, His spouse?
462 Now
I understand well that what unites our soul most closely to God is self-denial;
that is, joining our will to the will of God. This is what makes the soul truly
free, contributes to profound recollection of the spirit, and makes all life's burdens
light, and death sweet.
549
Work. As poor persons, the nuns themselves will do all the work in the convent.
Each one should be glad when she is given some work which is humbling or which
goes against her nature, as that will greatly help her interior formation. The
superior will often change the sisters' duties, and in this way help them to
detach themselves completely from the little details to which women have a
great attachment. Truly, I often find it amusing to see with my own eyes souls
who have forsaken really great things only to attach themselves to fiddle
faddle; that is, trifles. Each sister, including even the superior, shall work
in the kitchen for a month. Every one should take a turn at every chore which
is to be done in the convent.
571 O my Jesus, Eternal Truth, I fear nothing,
neither hardships nor sufferings; I fear only one thing, and that is to offend
You. My Jesus, I would rather not exist than make You sad. Jesus, You know that
my love knows no one but You. My soul is absorbed in You.
590 When
I receive Holy Communion, I entreat and beg the Savior to heal my tongue, that
I may never fail in love of neighbor.
692 + O
Jesus, I understand that Your mercy is beyond all imagining, and therefore I
ask You to make my heart so big that there will be room in it for the needs of
all the souls living on the face of the earth. O Jesus, my love extends beyond
the world, to the souls suffering in purgatory, and I want to exercise mercy
toward them by means of indulgenced prayers. God's mercy is unfathomable and
inexhaustible, just as God himself is unfathomable. Even if I were to use the
strongest words there are to express this mercy of God, all this would be
nothing in comparison with what it is in reality. O Jesus, make my heart
sensitive to all the sufferings of my neighbor, whether of body or of soul. O
my Jesus, I know that You act toward us as we act toward our neighbor.
My Jesus, make my heart like unto Your merciful Heart. Jesus, help me to go through life doing good to everyone.
My Jesus, make my heart like unto Your merciful Heart. Jesus, help me to go through life doing good to everyone.
700 +
Once, when I was very tired and in much pain, I told Mother Superior [Irene]
about it and received the answer that I should get used to suffering. I
listened to everything that Mother told me, and then I went out. Our Mother
Superior has great love of neighbor and especially great love for the sick
sisters, as everyone knows. And yet, as regards me, it is extraordinary that
the Lord Jesus has permitted that she not understand me and that she test me
much in this respect.
704 I
spend every free moment at the feet of the hidden God. He is my Master; I ask
Him about everything; I speak to Him about everything. Here I obtain strength
and light; here I learn everything; here I am given light on how to act toward
my neighbor. From the time I left the novitiate, I have enclosed myself in the
tabernacle together with Jesus, my Master. He himself drew me into the fire of
living love on which everything converges.
742 My
daughter, if I demand through you that people revere My mercy, you should be
the first to distinguish yourself by this confidence in My mercy. I demand from
you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show
mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or
try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.
I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first-by deed, the second-by word, the third-by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works. O my Jesus, You yourself must help me in everything, because You see how very little I am, and so I depend solely on Your goodness, O God.
+ Particular Examen
Union with the merciful Christ. With my heart I encompass the whole world, especially countries which are uncivilized or where there is persecution. I am praying for mercy upon them.
I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first-by deed, the second-by word, the third-by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works. O my Jesus, You yourself must help me in everything, because You see how very little I am, and so I depend solely on Your goodness, O God.
+ Particular Examen
Union with the merciful Christ. With my heart I encompass the whole world, especially countries which are uncivilized or where there is persecution. I am praying for mercy upon them.
791 Hide
me, Jesus, in the depths of Your mercy, and then let my neighbor judge me as he
pleases.
856
During the morning meditation, I felt an aversion and a repugnance for all
created things. Everything pales before my eyes; my spirit is detached from all
things. I desire only God himself, and yet I must live. This is a martyrdom
beyond description. God imparts himself to the soul in a loving way and draws
it into the infinite depths of His divinity, but at the same time He leaves it
here on earth for the sole purpose that it might suffer and die of longing for
Him. And this strong love is so pure that God himself finds pleasure in it; and
self-love has no access to its deeds, for here everything is totally saturated
with bitterness, and thus is totally pure. Life is a continuous dying, painful
and terrible, and at the same time it is the depth of true life and of
inconceivable happiness and the strength of the soul; and because of this, [the
soul] is capable of great deeds for the sake of God.
861
Particular
examen: remains the same; namely, to unite myself with the Merciful Christ
(that is; what would Christ do in such and such a case?) and, in spirit, to
embrace the whole world, especially Russia and Spain.
General
resolutions.
I.
Strict observance of silence - interior silence.
II. To
see the image of God in every sister; all love of neighbor must flow from this
motive.
III. To
do the will of God faithfully at every moment of my life and to live by this.
IV. To
give a faithful account of everything to the spiritual director and not to
undertake anything of importance without a clear understanding with him. I
shall try to clearly lay bare to him the most secret depths of my soul, bearing
in mind that I am dealing with God himself, and that His representative is just
a human being, and so I must pray daily that he be given light.
V.
During the evening examination of conscience, I am to ask myself the question:
What if He were to call me today?
VI. Not
to look for God far away, but within my own being to abide with Him alone.
VII. In
sufferings and torments, to take refuge in the tabernacle and to be silent.
VIII. To
join all sufferings, prayers, works and mortifications to the merits of Jesus
in order to obtain mercy for the world.
IX. To
use free moments, however short, for prayers for the dying.
X. There
must not be a day in my life when I do not recommend to the Lord the works of
our Congregation. Never have regard for what others think of you [for human
respect].
XI. Have
no familiar relationships with anyone. Gentle firmness toward the girls,
boundless patience; punish them severely but with such punishments as these:
prayer and self-sacrifice. The strength that is in the emptying of myself for
their sake is for them a [source of] constant remorse and the softening of
their obdurate hearts.
XII. The
presence of God is the basis of all my thoughts, words and deeds.
XIII. To
take advantage of all spiritual help. To always put self-love in its proper
place; namely, the last. To perform my spiritual exercises as though I were
doing them for the last time in my life, and in like manner to carry out all my
duties.
871 + My
Master, cause my heart never to expect help from anyone, but I will always
strive to bring assistance, consolation and all manner of relief to others. My
heart is always open to the sufferings of others; and I will not close my heart
to the sufferings of others, even though because of this I have been scornfully
nicknamed "dump"; that is, [because] everyone dumps his pain into my
heart. [To this] I answered that everyone has a place in my heart and I, in
return, have a place in the Heart of Jesus. Taunts regarding the law of love
will not narrow my heart. My soul is always sensitive on this point, and Jesus
alone is the motive for my love of neighbor.
944 +
There are moments when I mistrust myself, when I feel my own weakness and
wretchedness in the most profound depths of my own being, and I have noticed
that I can endure such moments only by trusting in the infinite mercy of God.
Patience, prayer and silence-these are what give strength to the soul. There
are moments when one should be silent, and when it would be inappropriate to
talk with creatures; these are the moments when one is dissatisfied with
oneself, and when the soul feels as weak as a little child. Then the soul
clings to God with all its might. At such times, I live solely by faith, and when
I feel strengthened by God's grace, then I am more courageous in speaking and
communicating with my neighbors.
1039 + I
suffer great pain at the sight of the sufferings of others. All these
sufferings are reflected in my heart. I carry their torments in my heart so
that it even wears me out physically. I would like all pains to fall upon me so
as to bring relief to my neighbor.
1662 + O
Christ, suffering for You is the delight of my heart and my soul. Prolong my
sufferings to infinity, that I may give You a proof of my love. I accept
everything that Your hand will hold out to me. Your love, Jesus, is enough for
me. I will glorify You in abandonment and darkness, in agony and fear, in pain
and bitterness, in anguish of spirit and grief of heart. In all things may You
be blessed. My heart is so detached from the earth, that You Yourself are
enough for me. There is no longer any moment in my life for self concern.
1663 Holy Thursday [April 14, 1938]. Today I
felt strong enough to take part in the ceremonies of the Church. During Holy
Mass, Jesus stood before me and said, Look into My Heart and see there the
love and mercy which I have for humankind, and especially for sinners. Look,
and enter into My Passion. In an instant, I experienced and lived through
the whole Passion of Jesus in my own heart. I was surprised that these tortures
did not deprive me of my life.
1664
During adoration, Jesus said to me, My daughter, know that your ardent love
and the compassion you have for Me were a consolation to Me in the Garden
[of Olives].
1665
During Holy Hour in the evening, I heard the words, You see My mercy for
sinners, which at this moment is revealing itself in all its power. See how
little you have written about it; it is only a single drop. Do what is in your
power, so that sinners may come to know My goodness.
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-93, 116, 118, 163, 216,
236 241, 279)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-294, 296, 343, 375, 383, 392, 462)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-549, 571, 590, 692, 700, 704, 742, 791)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-II-856, 861, 871, 944)
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1029, 1039 )
(Diary
of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1662-1663 )
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS10.shtml
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